City Cruises – Westminster to Greenwich sightseeing boat
Photo: londondrum.comCity Cruises Tickets from £25 Book tickets➜
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Useful things to know before your visit
Address: City Cruises, Westminster Pier, Victoria Embankment, Westminster SW1A 2JH. Telephone: 0800 459 8105
What are the dates and times?
Every day · Westminster Pier: Every 40 mins from 10 AM to 7.30 PM (last boat to Greenwich is at 4.40 PM) · London Eye Pier: Every 40 mins from 10.10 AM to 7.40 PM (last boat to Greenwich is at 4.50 PM) · Tower Pier: Every 40 mins from 10 AM to 7.40 PM (last boat to Greenwich is at 5.30 PM) · Greenwich Pier: Every 40 mins from 10.30 AM to 6.30 PM
How much do the tickets cost?
Prices start from £25
Which buses go to City Cruises?
Bus routes for Westminster Pier: 11, 24, 148, 211 – For London Eye Pier: 12, 53, 59, 76, 77, 148, 159, 211, 341, 381 – For Tower Pier: 15, 42, 78 and 100 all stop close by
Which is the closest train station?
The nearest station is Westminster, which connects with the Circle District and Jubilee lines. It only takes two minutes to walk to City Cruises
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EmailMy review of City Cruises
I don't get on very well with the sun. Put it this way: we're not friends. If I have to go on a boat then I usually like to do it in the rain but there's no escaping its flames this morning and we're fanning the air with whatever we've got: hats, hands, bags or magazines. I'm having to squint at the river because the water's glistening like diamond lights.
Photo: London DrumCity Cruises operate the largest tourist boats in London with 250 seats downstairs and another 250 on the open-air top deck. They've also got a handy table service up there so you can order your food off a QR code and have someone bring it up to you so you don't lose your seat, because these boats are busy - very busy. People use them with the London Pass so they're always packed with people.
Photo: London DrumAfter five minutes the water starts churning against the side of the boat and we pull away from the pier with Big Ben behind us and the London Eye to our right. Then comes Cleopatra's Needle, the Royal Festival Hall, Shakespeare's Globe, Tate Modern and St. Paul's Cathedral by the Millennium Bridge.
Photo: London DrumIf you want the recorded commentary then you have to download their app and listen to it on your phone, but they also stand a man at the front who points out all the sights with some PC-free gags. He's actually quite funny and has managed to make me laugh a few times (not an easy feat). I might even put some money in his tip bucket.
Photo: London DrumAs you approach The Shard keep an eye out for the full-size replica of Francis Drake's Golden Hinde in a dry dock by Southwark Cathedral. If you look to the left after you pass under London Bridge then you can glimpse the top of The Monument where the Great Fire of London broke out. Then you get a great view of the City skyscrapers, the big guns of HMS Belfast, and the bricked up entrance to Traitor's Gate before we pull into the pier.
Photo: London Drum
Photo: London DrumWhile we're waiting for the tourists to disembark at the Tower of London a seagull has landed on the railing and become the star of the show all of a sudden. Forget the landmarks. Forget the thousand-year-old White Tower to our left because everybody is crowding round to get a photo of this mangy old bird with green seaweed in his beak.
Photo: London DrumWhen the boat gets going again it passes straight under Tower Bridge before opening up the motor in the choppy waters before Canary Wharf. There are no landmarks around here so you can pass the time trying to find four riverside pubs.
First up is The Mayflower which stands near the spot where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for America. Further along is the Captain Kidd which is close to the execution site of the famous pirate (he actually met his end in Execution Dock - look for a riverside warehouse with a big 'E' on the top).
Photo: London DrumThe third one is a tiny little place called The Prospect of Whitby which is supposed to be oldest pub on the river (it's actually just the uneven floor that dates from the days of Henry VIII).
Photo: London DrumAnd the fourth one is The Grapes - look for Anthony Gormley's statue of a man rising out of the water on the bend before Canary Wharf. This one is part-owned by Sir Ian McKellen and he's put his Gandalf staff behind the bar.
Photo: London DrumWhen you finally reach Greenwich you'll float slowly past the Cutty Sark and settle next to the Old Royal Naval College. If you look past the buildings then you should be able to see the Royal Observatory on top of the hill.
I’ve ranked a boat trip to Greenwich as ★17 in my top 25 London bucket list
It also appears in my two-day London itinerary for families and one week in London itinerary
London Squire guidebook – Check out my guidebook available to buy at Amazon, Apple and Kobo. I’ve personally visited 210 London landmarks, attractions and hotels and collected all of my reviews, example itineraries, handy practical info, and advice about using the buses and trains into an eBook, along with 675 original photos
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What do you think? (4)
Ask a question, or share your experience of this tour
A Henderson Hi. My first post here. Require your kind help. Can I use my London Pass which has a free cruise as a trip to Greenwich and back? (reply)
↳Craig Hi A Henderson. You can do, but it only works with the City Cruises boats (not the TRS or Uber Boats, which operate from the same pier). Be aware that a return trip to Greenwich will use up a few hours of your day – it’s 1hour 20mins each way. If you’re only getting a 1-day pass then you won’t have much time to visit the other attractions because you typically have to visit at least four attractions to start saving money. If it was me I would just get the boat to Greenwich and then catch the DLR from Cutty Sark back to Bank. (reply)
HWood Do they have commentary. (reply)
↳Craig Hi HWood. They do, yes. They usually have a live guide standing at the front with a microphone. They also have a recorded commentary but you have to download their app onto your phone to listen to that (you might also want to bring some earbuds along because it might be difficult to hear you phone over the wind noise). (reply)
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